The Perfect Moment
by mamaXunicorn
Summary: Neal is in search of the perfect moment for when to propose to Emma. Response to Swanfire Appreciation Week on tumblr.


Neal entered his father's shop, the bell dinging at his entrance bringing Rumplestiltskin to the front counter.

A warm smile crossed his lips as he spotted his son. "Good afternoon, Bae."

Neal sent a similar smile in return. "Afternoon."

It had taken a while but after they rescued both him and Henry and returned to Storybrooke, and Neal had learned all the sacrifices his father had made for Henry, he slowly began to trust him again and their relationship was put on the mend.

"What can I do for you, son?" His father asked and Neal sighed, resting his hands on the counter.

"I want to look at your rings."

Rumple's brow shot up and a knowing smirk crossed his lips. "Well, its about time."

Neal shot his father a look. "I didn't want to mess everything up again."

"My boy, after nearly losing you, Miss Swan wouldn't dare let you go." He responded as he walked over to the jewelry casing and Neal followed him over.

"Yeah," Neal shrugged, "But we have been taking things gradually...I didn't want to rush a proposal she wasn't ready for."

"And you believe she is now?" He asked as he unlocked the case and reached in to pull out the collection of rings.

A smile crossed Neal's lips and he nodded. "It just feels right, you know? It's been just over a year since we came back from Neverland. Emma's happy, I'm happy...we're all in a very good place."

"Well," his father smiled up at him, "I'm very happy for you."

"Thank you, Papa but she hasn't said yes yet."

"She will." Rumplestiltskin nodded knowingly. "Don't you worry about that."

They shared another small smile and then Neal looked down at the collection of rings, pressing his lips together as he looked over each one of them.

"Now," He wondered, looking up at his father. "Which ones did you acquire through unfortunate deals?"

There was a hint of regret in his father's eyes but Neal's voice held no malice. Once his father swore off making deals he came to grips with the past. Still, he dreaded the thought of giving his future wife a ring that had come out of someone's misfortune at the hands of his father.

"None of them." He answered honestly and Neal raised a brow skeptically.

"I promise you, Bae, none of them came through deals. I had no need for jewelry especially those made out of gold. I simply found all of these throughout the years."

"Why would you keep them if they had no use for you?"

Rumplestiltskin simply shrugged. "For when my son wants to marry." He answered with a smirk and Neal scoffed, shaking his head softly.

"Why would I keep any of this?" Rumplestiltskin continued, waving his hand to motion to his shop. "Some of it, yes I have acquired through deals, but most...well, to be honest, I'm not sure where they came from. It seems items that went missing during the curse end up here." He looked back down at the rings and tapped his hand on the glass beside them. "These rings are probably much the same."

Neal let out a breath and nodded, feeling relieved that they were innocent rings. He leaned against the counter to get a better look at the rings and pressed his brow together, examining each one. Some were really very simple rings, some were extravagant with intricate jewels and diamonds and there were a few that caught his eye.

The ring he had given Tamara disappeared with her in Neverland. It was a quick engagement and he had honestly just went to the nearest jewelers and picked out a ring at random with a little help from the owner.

He didn't want to do the same for Emma. Emma was special, the love of his life, and he had to make her ring special...it had to be right for her. The only jewelry he ever saw her wearing was that circular pendant along with the swan keychain so he didn't even know where to begin to look. He thought about leaving Storybrooke but they rarely ever do and it'd be too suspicious so he went to his father's shop.

As much as she was a princess by blood, Emma was not the one to go for the extravagant jewelry and she'd probably laugh at him if he bought such a thing. He would not buy something too generic because this proposal actually meant something and he did not want her comparing her ring or engagement to Tamara's.

He looked over the rows of rings over and over again and then he finally caught one sitting in the bottom left corner. He picked it up and held it between his fingers as he held it up to light. It had a round cut center diamond with two small sapphires on either side. It wasn't too gaudy and it wasn't too simple and he imagined it nicely on Emma's finger.

"Judging by the smile on your face, I think you've found it."

Neal looked over at his father and his smile widened. "What do you think?"

Rumplestiltskin took the ring from his son and quickly examined it before nodding his head. "I think Miss Swan will love it." He smiled as he reached over to press the ring back into Neal's palm.

Neal smiled down at the ring and felt his heart leap. He had decided a few days ago that he was going to propose to Emma but holding he actual ring in his hand made it that much more real.

"I do believe I have a box around here somewhere." He heard his father mutter and then start to shuffle around on the shelves behind him. "Ah," He said as he pulled out a beautiful blue ring box, "Here it is."

He opened the box and Neal placed the ring gently inside and admired it again. Yes, it was perfect.

Rumplestiltskin gently snapped the box closed and handed it over to Neal with a small smile. "There you are."

"Thank you." He smiled as he held the box securely in his hand and then let out a sigh. "The real question is now...how much is it?"

"Oh, Bae, you don't-"

Neal held up his free hand, cutting him off. "Don't tell me I don't have to pay for it. It's an engagement ring and a very beautiful one at that. I've got money and I came here fully expecting to pay for it so I'm going to pay for it. So, how much?"

Rumple let out a breath, shaking his head softly at his son's stubbornness. "Very well. I shall need to see it again."

Neal handed him back the box and he opened it, examining the ring, looking over the box to his son, and then back at the ring. He pressed his lips together and closed the box, handing it back to Neal. "For you, my son, it'll cost $300."

"Papa..."

"Don't argue with me, Bae." At his stern tone, Neal immediately shut his mouth.

"Helping you propose marriage to the woman you love is something I never thought I'd be able to do. I was lucky enough to be let back into your life and the least I could do is help you with this."

Neal let out a sigh but nodded in compliance, a small smile crossing his lips. "Thank you."

Rumple nodded and started to make his way back over to the front counter and Neal followed him, already reaching for his wallet. He pulled out a large stack of bills and counted out three hundred before handing it over to his father. "Are you sure you don't want more? It's a very nice ring."

"It is a very nice ring." Rumple agreed. "But you are my only son and I hope you know you mean more to me than a ring does."

Neal smiled warmly and Rumple gave him a curt nod as he sorted the money into the register and then pushed the ring box toward Neal. "It's all yours...good luck, not that you'll need it."

"You're so certain she'll say yes." Neal shook his head lightly, taking the box into his hands.

"Indeed I am." Rumple responded. "I see the way she looks at you..there is forever in her eyes." He nodded with a smile. "She'll say yes."

Neal nodded as well, letting out a soft sigh. "Thank you, Papa, for everything."

"You're quite welcome, son."

* * *

Snow looked over to her husband on their spot on the couch, where they had just settled down for an evening together, as a knock on the door sounded.

"Maybe Emma forgot something?" David offered up.

"She has a key." Snow replied and then rose to her feet, reluctantly leaving her husband's side to answer the door.

When she opened the door, she found a rather anxious looking Neal on the other side. He sent Emma's mother a warm smile and a tiny wave.

"Neal." Snow greeted in surprise and turned her head. "Emma's not here...she went out with Henry..."

"No, I know." Neal responded quickly. "I actually came to talk to you." He looked over as David approached his wife's side. "Both of you."

"Oh." Snow quickly glanced up to her husband who looked just as clueless as she and then they both stepped aside. "Sure, come on in."

Neal quietly thanked them with a smile as he stepped inside, his fingers tapping nervously against his thighs from inside his pockets.

"Is something wrong?" David asked once the door was closed and they turned to face him, observing Neal's unusual behavior.

"What?" Neal quickly turned to them and then shook his head. "No, no, nothing's wrong. I just..." He paused and let out a deep sigh, taking his hands out of his pockets and collapsing them at his sides, staring to ramble off nervously. "I know that things are a different here in this world and we've all lived here for quite some time but we come from the Enchanted Forest and I only spent the first fourteen years of my life there but I was raised with these ideals and I know you think this way too..."

"Neal." Snow gently cut him off and he looked up to see her smiling in amusement but they both held a question in their eyes.

Neal closed his eyes and inhaled then exhaled deeply, nodding to himself before continuing. "I want to ask Emma to marry me."

A gasp escaped Snow's lips and for a moment he didn't dare look into their eyes. "And I wanted to ask your blessing."

He quietly looked up to them with a hesitant smile. David's face was a little unreadable, shock being the most obvious emotion, but to his surprise a wide grin broke across Snow's face.

She clapped her hands together, bringing them over her chest. "Yes!" She nearly squealed and then cleared her throat. "Yes, you have it."

Neal lifted his brow, surprised at the quick response from Emma's mother but he looked to David, craving his opinion. Neal didn't say anything, the question was still hanging in the air and the anxiousness written in his eyes.

David eyed Neal for a few seconds longer and then his face relaxed as he let out a breath and a small smile tugged at his lips. "Yes." He agreed with his wife. "You have our blessing."

A weight came off Neal's shoulders and he sighed in relief, a smile crossing his face. "Thank you."

"Thank you for asking." David replied. "You are right this is a different world but we were all raised the same way and I really appreciate that you came to us."

"You're a prince." Neal said with a laugh and a shrug. "I'm merely the son of a spinner."

"You're not merely anything, Neal." Snow said sweetly. "You're a part of our family and its only right you make it official."

Neal smiled gratefully. "I am surprised you agreed so quickly...I was ready with a speech about how much I love her."

"Oh, really?" David asked, raising his brow and Snow gently elbowed him and then shook her head with a smile.

"We don't need convincing that you love her. We see it every time you two are in the same room together and even when you're not. The last year you've been together, its been the happiest I've ever seen Emma and that's all we want for her...her happiness. You give that to her, Neal and if you are offering to give that to her for the rest of your lives...how can we possibly refute that?"

David nodded his head in agreement. "When she thought you were dead it broke my heart to see that devastation on her face. I never want to see that look on her face again and Snow is right, you make her happy and you've more than proved yourself worthy of her. I know she loves you and I know that you love her but I want you to understand something..." He took a few steps toward Neal and Neal's eyes widened slightly. He had dealt with countless scary being, hell he had been to Neverland, _twice_, and lived but nothing was more intimidating than his future father-in-law.

"She's my little girl and I've missed nearly 30 years of her life. I didn't expect to be giving her away so soon but I know she's an adult, you two have a child and its nearly about time you were married. But if you hurt her again, I don't care who your father is, I will hurt you."

Neal swallowed thickly but kept a steady gaze on David. "I'm not going to hurt her." He promised. "I've made that mistake before and it was the worst of my life. I do love your daughter, more than anything and I want to spent the rest of my life with her, I want to make her happy, I want to be a family."

David kept a stern eye on Neal for a few seconds longer, to drive his point home mostly, and then he smiled and reached over to squeeze his shoulder. "Then welcome to our family."

Neal let out a sigh of relief and smiled back at David who nodded to him and then moved back to stand beside his wife.

"Do you have the ring?" Snow asked and then walked over with a grin as Neal pulled out the box and opened it for her. Snow let out a soft gasp and covered her mouth with her hands for a moment. "Oh its beautiful!" She gushed and smiled up at Neal. "She's going to love it."

"It does seem to fit her."

"It's perfect." Snow agreed and Neal smiled, closing the box and tucking it back into his pocket.

"When are going to ask her?" Snow asked excitedly.

Neal shrugged lightly. "I haven't decided that yet. I want it to be just the right moment. I was thinking about what to do but Emma's not that much of a romantic person so giving her this whole big proposal wouldn't suit her but I think it needs to be more than just asking her."

Snow and David looked at each other with a knowing smile before turning back to Neal. "Just asking just might be romantic enough." Snow told him. "That's what Charming did."

Neal looked over to David inquisitively. "You did?"

He laughed softly. "Well I did just save her from the sleeping curse."

"You did." Snow answered with a smile. "I was not expecting that proposal though." She twisted the ring around her finger as she leaned into his side before looking back to Neal. "He said the ring was enchanted and that it had led him to me and then he just got down on one knee and asked me to marry him."

Neal lifted his brow. "I'd say thats pretty darn romantic."

"Oh it was." Snow said. "But it wasn't planned and let's face it, a lot of what happened between you and Emma has not been planned."

Neal snorted quietly. "You could say that again."

"But it all has worked out in your favor. You know you want to marry her so just let the moment come to you." Snow smiled. "It will and it will be perfect."

Neal nodded quietly, mulling over that, then deciding that Emma's mother was right. Any plans they did ever make were thwarted before they could even start and he did not want this proposal to be a disaster. He was okay with playing things by ear, he had done that for most of his life anyway. The perfect moment would come to him and when it did, he'd be ready.

* * *

A few days passed and Neal awaited that perfect moment. Any time he and Emma had a moment alone it seemed someone was bound to interrupt, including her parents who of course knew he was planning to propose.

It was a saturday and one of the warmest days Storybrooke had seen that year and Neal had begun to take that as a sign that it could be the day.

Emma worked for most of the morning but then came home just after noon saying that David had insisted she take the rest of the day off being that it was a nice day and it was a very slow day.

Henry wanted to go to the beach and hang out there for the day and because it was so nice, Emma agreed and Neal felt another check toward his perfect moment. He remained calm, not wanting to jinx anything but he placed the ring in an extra pair of shorts he packed and made sure to keep it in a separate bag away from any of Emma or Henry's things.

So the family packed up some lunch and got in their yellow bug and drove down to the beach.

There were a few other people sitting around the sand while their kids played in the water and Henry was thrilled to see his new best friend, Pinocchio already in the water while Gepetto and Archie sat together, talking as they kept an eye on him.

Neal and Emma sat up their blanket, Neal placing his bag of clothing in one of the corners furthest from Emma and placed his shoes on top just in case.

They sat next to each other, their shoulders pressed together, their hands joined between them as they watched Henry and Pinocchio play in the water.

The day was going smoothly, the two of them enjoying the sun while their son played in the water. He eventually came back to the blanket and wrapped himself in a towel and they ate lunch.

As they sat and ate and laughed, Neal knew this was his perfect moment. It was moments like these that reminded him how much of a family they were now. It was all both of them had ever wanted and they finally had it. It was not sunny Florida but Storybrooke, Maine was home now because they were all together.

And it seemed right, and he didn't know why he didn't think of it before, to propose to Emma on the beach. It was where they talked about going all those years ago, it was on this same beach that they finally addressed their past and his mistakes and his regrets, it was on a beach in Neverland where they were reunited again and it would be where they take the next step in their relationship.

He waited until Henry went back into the water. Henry knew of his plans to propose and he was being very good about keeping it quiet to Emma but he had no idea that he was planning to do it today and as much as he loved having Henry around, this was a moment that needed to just be them two.

He slowly looked over to Emma, who was smiling as she watched their son, and his heart started to race. He licked his suddenly dry lips and swallowed thickly, reaching for one of the water bottles, grateful for the heat as an excuse.

He took a large sip and placed it back down before looking over to Emma once again. She was beautiful, her long blonde hair pulled back away from her face, a radiant smile on her lips, and the sun casting a warm glow against her skin.

This was his moment, here on the beach with their son.

He slowly let out a breath, turning his head away from her and reaching toward his bag to hide it. Briefly her eyes flickered to him at his movement but they quickly returned to watching Henry.

He reached into the pocket of his shorts and grabbed the ring box into his hand, wrapping his fingers around it as he carefully pulled it out and sat back up, keeping his hand pressed against his side.

A laugh escaped Emma's lips as little Pinocchio tackled their son into the water and his heart leapt at the sound.

"You know," Emma mused, the laughter still in her voice, "He really hasn't changed...except you know, being 20 years younger."

Neal let out a half sincere laugh, August-turned-Pinocchio being the furthest thing on his mind at the moment. Emma was able to read him like a book and she turned to him, her brow pressing together, her smile fading at the look on his face. "What is it?"

He cleared his throat softly, his fingers nervously tapping against the box. His father was certain that Emma would say yes, even Emma's parents seemed certain she'd say yes but he himself was not so certain.

He let out a sigh and Emma's frowned in concern and he sent her a warm smile in reassurance. "I love you, Emma."

A smile, slightly hesitant but genuine, crossed her lips. "I love you, too."

He licked his lips and with his other hand reached for hers, intwining their fingers together. She squeezed his hand and gave him a curious shake of the head.

"We've been through so much just in the last year and I never expected to be here with you again...together and in love. God knows I wanted it but I never thought I could be so lucky to get that second chance with you. But here we are and we're a family...we have each other and we have Henry and its like a dream come true."

"Neal..." She knew him well enough to catch the slight quiver in his voice and knew something was up.

He bit softly down on his lip and summoned up his nerve. He could have prolonged a really long engagement speech but he figured that Snow was right and it'd just be more romantic for him to just say it.

He moved quickly to his knees in front of her and Emma jumped in surprise at his quick movements and the ring box was still pressed tightly against his side, hidden from her sight by his hand.

"You are all I have ever wanted and I know you may not believe in any of this but I do believe fate brought us together, in Portland and now. I love you, Emma, more than anything and I want to be with you forever."

It was with those words that Emma finally began to realize what was happening and her eyes widened as she watched his hand come away from his side and his fingers opened to reveal the ring box and she stifled a gasp.

He swallowed as he stared at her intently, watching her every move and opened the box to reveal the ring. A gasp finally escaped her lips and she brought her hand up to cover her mouth, staring at the ring for a few long moments before her eyes trailed up to meet his.

With a sincere smile and a loving look he asked. "Will you marry me?"

Around them, people immediately realized what was happening and grew silent, watching the couple in anticipation and Henry noticed and stopped playing, running to the edge of the water and staring at them, waiting.

All they saw were each other, memories of their lives quickly flashing through their heads and Emma was silent for a few moments, just staring into Neal's eyes and then she lowered her hand to her lap, pressed her lips together as a wave of emotion washed over her face to morph into a smile and she nodded. "Yes." She whispered. "Yes." She repeated louder with a laugh as she grabbed Neal's face in her hands and pressed her lips to his. She grinned as she pulled away seconds later. "Yes." She said for a final time and he grinned back at her, leaning in for another kiss.

Once they parted again, Neal took the ring out of the box, took her hand in his and slipped the ring onto her finger. Emma let out a breath as she stared down at it for a long moment, the smile never leaving her lips. "It's beautiful." She whispered and then looked up to him. "I love you."

Smiling, he brought his hands to her face, gently caressing her sun kissed cheeks and brought her in for another sweet kiss.

They were broken apart by the sound of cheering and laughed as their son came barreling toward them and threw himself at them, first wrapping his arms around his mother and then his father, neither of them caring that the boy was soaking wet.

"I didn't know you were going to do it today!" Henry exclaimed happily, looking at his father.

Emma raised her brow. "You knew he was going to propose?"

Henry grinned and nodded excitedly. "He told me a few days ago."

"Who else knows?" Emma turned to Neal and he smiled sheepishly.

"My father and your parents."

"So everyone." She remarked and he lifted his shoulders, grinning at her.

"I went to my father for the ring and I had to let your parents know and of course Henry..."

"Neal." Emma cut him off gently with a smile. "I don't care who knows and quite frankly I'm impressed everyone was able to keep it silent. Especially you." She looked up at Henry and he grinned proudly.

"It was hard but I did it! Dad said to think of it as one of my Operations."

Emma smirked as she looked over to Neal who was grinning. "Oh yeah, and what was this one called?"

"Simple...its just called Operation Swan."

"My last name? Henry, you're slacking on these names." Emma teased gently.

Henry gave his mother a look. "It's not just your last name, mom. Swans are animals that mate for life."

Emma's eyes widened slightly. "Really?"

"Yep!" Henry grinned. "Just like you and Dad. You met and fell in love years ago and even though you were separated you still found your way back to each other because you belong together. You're mates for life."

Emma stared at her boys who were looking back at her with matching grins and couldn't help the smile on her face.

"Operation Swan." She nodded with a slight laugh.

"Is a success!" Henry chimed in, smiling happily and then reached into hug his mother again. Emma smiled and wrapped her arms around her son, closing her eyes for a moment before looking over at Neal.

He couldn't even describe the amount of joy he felt watching his family. For once in his life, everything was going right. He was in a good place with his father, he was now engaged to the woman he loved, they had their son and they had a home.

It truly was a perfect moment.


End file.
